Holy moly! I've reached one hundred chapters!

Honestly, I didn't think I'd make this many

Thank you all so much for reading my story thus far!

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 100

Nin

It wasn't very long until we made it back to Magnolia. It took a couple of hours riding the train and having to put up with Natsu's motion sickness for a bit, but we finally made it home. I, for one, was glad to be back in our home town. It seemed like we were stuck over at Naoko for an eternity, but here we were a few days if not a week later back at Magnolia.

"We're home!" Natsu grunted as he stretched. "Good old Magnolia!"

"Aye, sir!" agreed Happy.

"Man, I'm glad that's over and done with," said Gray. "It feels like every time we go out on jobs; we get tangled by some crazy plot by some dark guild."

"Look on the bright side, Gray," said Mira. "At least that's one less dark guild to worry about. Besides, I feel great. It's been a while since I've been able to cut loose on a job."

As they continued with their conversation, I continued to walk without saying anything, lost in my thoughts. I wish I could say that I was happy to be at home as much as Natsu, but I couldn't help but feel more worried than I was delighted. The events of everything that had transpired in Naoko were still fresh in my mind and kept replaying like a replay button on a video lacrima; I couldn't help but play them out over and over again.

"Willy? Is something wrong?"

I blinked and shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts. Erza was giving me a concerned look wondering if I was feeling OK. I gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's nothing, Erza. I'm fine," I said. "Just glad that whole incident is over and done with is all."

"That's understandable. Although, I can't imagine what you've been through in that mountain, not to mention you've fought Don Ghira himself," said Erza. "Speaking of which, there is the matter of him suddenly disappearing when we found him with you. Are you sure that there was no one else with you?"

"Not that I'm aware of," I replied. "It was just the two of us last time I checked. I was so wrapped up in fighting Don Ghira; I couldn't really tell who else was there."

"And how are you holding up as far as injuries?" asked Erza. "I know that Wendy didn't find anything serious, but I'm still feeling a bit concerned."

"Don't worry, Erza. I'm fit as a fiddle," I smiled. "Seriously, you're worrying too much. Even if I was hurt, I'm sure it's nothing some rest and magic can't fix."

"I see. If you say so," said Erza thoughtfully. "But you're still a good friend of ours. If there's anything that I or anyone else can do for you, don't hesitate to ask."

"I will, and I appreciate that. Thanks, Erza," I said, giving her a smile. "In the meantime, I'm gonna go home. I need all the rest I can get after that experience. Could you tell Natsu and the others for me?"

Erza nodded. "Of course. Take care, Willy, and have a good rest."

And with that, I walked off on my own heading back towards the apartments.

At the flats a little bit later...

I was lying in the tub, letting the water's warmth soak into my aching muscles. To me, this was just what my sore body needed after going through a hard-fought battle. As I lied there in the water, I had my eyes closed as I hummed in no tune in particular.

I then sunk into the water, letting my back touch the bottom of the tub as I opened my eyes. Usually, one would have to hold their breath while they were underneath the water, but not me, thanks to my magic and abilities. The surface of the water seemed distorted with lights as stared up at them admiring. It was pretty cool, but I couldn't help but feel somewhat cramped.

This is just what I needed. Although... I wish the bathtub was a little bit bigger so I could swim around," I thought. "At least then I could try to relax as well as have some fun."

As I stayed beneath the water staring upwards, I put my hands behind my head, letting my mind wander and drift. When I did, I couldn't help but start to think about Naoko and the fight I had with Don Ghira and about what had happened to me when I was captured. It was a pretty lousy situation of which I got out of, but that didn't mean I came out completely unscathed.

I was not only beaten and hurt physically, but I was also hit with some words that got under my skin courtesy of Don Ghira. I could still remember what he said to be back when I fought him and when he had me back in that prison and during the fight back in the caves.

"...You see everyone in the Barem Alliance heard about the fall of the Oración Seis and about how you were set free by the Magic Council. When that happened, it was decided that you were deemed a traitor and those wanted posters were sent to every dark guild throughout the Alliance."

"...If you wanna speak of crimes, then take a look at yourself in the mirror! You've committed just as many atrocities as I have if not more!"

"...I've heard all about your little trial with the Magic Council and the fact that you got off scot-free because of your supposed proven innocence despite the charges against you. The way I see it, you may act like the good samaritan pretending to be the good guy, but in truth, you actually do remember your crimes. You just didn't want to be sent to jail alongside your fellow guildmates.

"You're wrong! I didn't kill anyone! I'm innocent! And those bastards were controlling me like a puppet, nothing more!"

"How can you say that for sure? After all, your memories are all mixed up due to you supposedly being controlled, isn't that right? How can you say for sure that you didn't kill anyone while you were under the Seis' spell when you clearly don't remember being controlled, to begin with?"

"You're just can't accept the fact that your hands are stained with blood and you're nothing but a predator. A predator that people fear, a predator that thrives for killing, A predator like me."

I couldn't help but squeeze my hands a little in anger as Don Ghira's next words echoed out in my mind. There was no way that what he said couldn't be right. I couldn't have killed anyone. I just couldn't have.

However, at the same time, as much as I hated to admit it, he was right about one thing; I didn't remember anything during my time of being controlled. The only thing I could remember was falling asleep back when I was told that I was being transferred to a different hospital and saying goodbye to the Strauss siblings. The next thing that I knew, I found myself on Nirvana and Erza and Jellal were with me. That was a six-year gap ago.

Then memories of some of the people in Magnolia I encountered began floating up into my mind. Truth be told, I honestly didn't overthink about it at the time, but in regards to what Don Ghira said, I couldn't help but wonder if it was true. They were very scared or mad at me whenever they saw me.

Now that I thought about it, I didn't remember a single thing between that gap, which made me feel all the more uneasy. Did I hurt anyone while I was being controlled by Brain? Or worse yet, did I kill anyone? It would explain why every civilian I've encountered in Magnolia was so scared of me. Not mention, there was one other thing that would also probably explain it all. And it was the very reason why Don Ghira wanted to capture me.

The wanted poster.

I pretty much knew the reason why something like that would be placed on my head, but it made me wonder who was responsible for it and who was after me. This much I knew. It had to have been someone from the Barlem Alliance, so that left me with a couple of suspects.

The first possibility was the Oracion Seis. They may have been locked up by the Magic Council, but Brain could still have some lesser guilds still working for him and are using them to spread the word about my betrayal. Not to mention Midnight's threat was still haunting my mind, so they had the motive.

The second and third possibilities were the other two members of the Balam Alliance, Grimoire Heart, and Tartoros. They could have heard all about my betrayal and are probably using me as an example to those who turn their back on them, or they could want me for some other motive. I haven't seen or heard anything about them yet, but they could still want to hunt me down just to cash in on the bounty.

As I continued to think about other possibilities, I slowly closed my eyes, letting my mind wander. The water wobbled around me, and the warmth of it made me feel a little bit sleepy and comfortable.

Then suddenly, I thought of another possibility. Something that I almost overlooked and forgotten, or rather someone. The very person who was responsible who all of what happened to me in the first place happen — the person who made me go through hell when I was a child.

The man with glasses and the silver beard. The one who masqueraded as a doctor and experimented on me.

Upon remembering that man, I instinctively sat up, making the water splash about in the tub. I also remembered back to when I received that mysterious letter with the symbol of the Bureau of Magical Development on it. It was possible that the man with the silver beard could be behind the whole thing. But if that was true, then it was also possible that he knew where I lived. The mere thought of that made shivers go down my spine. I then looked at my feet, particularly at my ankles and then my wrists. Aside from my light brown skin, I could see some dark rings around them symbolizing what I went through when I was a child. Just by looking at them made me remember the torture and pain and made me feel sick to my stomach.

"Damn it all..." I cursed, as I clenched my fists in anger.

And the more I thought about the man with the silver beard, the more that I wanted to punch his face in for revenge for what he did. Not only that, but I still remembered the promise I made to myself. I had to make sure that no one else got involved in my business anymore. No one else will have to get hurt because of me.

It was bad enough that I got Fairy Tail dragged into my problems, but I made them suffer over the past six years all because I was gone. And to add to that, the entire ordeal made me feel like a weakling letting myself get controlled like that and letting everyone else help me. Also, there was no doubt that whoever was after me would try again to get to me.

"No way. I won't let it happen again. Never again," I thought. "Everyone in Fairy Tail has always been protecting me; now it's my turn to protect them."

I let out a shaky breath as I stood up from the tub getting out. I pulled the plug, letting the water drain out of it and began drying myself off with a towel. When I finished drying, I got dressed now wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sweats and reached out toward the knob of the bathroom door about to open it.

As soon as I touched the handle, a sudden feeling overtook me. A feeling that someone was in my apartment. I was immediately on guard and placed my palm on the floor using my Aqua Sense. Sure enough, I could sense that there were two people in my apartment. However, they were two people that I recognized, Finn and Master Tu Chi. I then relaxed upon knowing this as I opened the door. Master Tu-Chi was sitting on the L-shaped couch relaxing as Jade sat on top, preening her feathers, and Finn was looking around the room admiring the decor.

"Finn. Master," I spoke with a bit of surprise.

"Hey there, Willy. We were making ourselves at home," said Finn. "Hope you don't mind."

"I must say that this is quite a nice dwelling you have chosen Willy," said Master. "I just might rent one of these myself when I retire."

"Well, I'm glad that you think so," I smiled as I sat, ignoring the fact that they just suddenly appeared. "So... what brings you two over here? Aside from checking out my apartment."

"Well... the truth of the matter is, there's something that we want to talk to you about," said Finn. "It's about the job you got called for."

I felt my heart jump a bit as I looked down towards the floor. "Wh-what about the job?" I asked.

"I think that you already know what, Willy," said Tu-Chi. "There's no point in trying to hide it. We know the real reason for that job, and it was because of this."

She dug into her sleeve and then placed a piece of paper on the table. I looked at it, and my eyes widened for it was another copy of the wanted poster.

"Wh-wh-where did you get this?" I asked while looking at Master.

"Finn and I found that while we were out on reconnaissance on a mission," said Tu-Chi. "The dark guild we were following had that poster."

"Not to mention, we heard some of the details from Erza and the others," added Finn. "So there's no reason to hide anything Willy. We pretty much have an idea of what happened, but we want to know your side of the story. Tell us everything that happened."

I wasn't exactly too keen on telling them what had happened, but Master and Finn weren't the kind of people to take no for an answer. Plus, they were people that I could trust, so in the end, I told them everything that had happened during my time at Naoko.

When I finished telling them, Finn and Master stared at me with their eyes entirely focused on me.

"... and that's pretty much what happened," I finished.

"So that whole job was just one big trap, huh?" said Finn. "I should've known."

"As I thought as well," said Tu-Chi. "I am relieved we won't have to worry about Black Tiger again anytime soon, but there is the problem of this wanted poster."

"Yeah... I know," I said, looking at the poster. "It seems that once again, my friends got caught up in something because of me."

"What do you mean by that, Willy?" asked Finn.

"Isn't it obvious? All the dark guilds that have seen this wanted poster are all gunning for me," I said. "Just like before when I was under the control of Brain, my friends are getting caught in the crossfire and are getting hurt all because of me and frankly, I'm getting sick of it. If they ever try to attack me again, I'll take them on myself. I'm tired of people fighting for me only to get hurt in the process. It's time I take things into my own hands. I'll fight my enemies on my own."

"But if you end up fighting a dark guild again, there's no way that you can take them on all by yourself," pointed out Finn. "It's too big a risk for you."

"Come on, Finn. I was able to take on a group of Black Tiger's members before," I said defiantly. "You can at least give me some vote of confidence."

"It doesn't matter. While there may be small fry guilds that are as weak like the ones you fought, there will be some that are even more powerful than that," said Finn, who was now scowling. "You need help."

"No, I don't!" I snapped to Finn. "With all due respect Finn, I don't need my friends to risk their lives for me again, and that includes you and Master. It's not that I don't appreciate it, but I don't need anyone to help me or get involved!"

Finn was about to say something else, but Tu-Chi, who was quiet throughout this whole thing, raised her hand causing the two of us to look at her. A few seconds of silence had passed before she spoke.

"Willy, do you intend to take on an enemy all on your own?" she asked. "An enemy that you have absolutely no knowledge about?"

"Master, the enemy, is basically every single dark guild that wants to collect the bounty on my head," I said. "What else is there to know?"

"As a wise person once said; What you know is dangerous to your enemy," said Master. "What you think you know is dangerous to you."

I felt a little bit confused as to what she just said, but then Master explained.

"You know too little about the situation at hand and are trying to fight an enemy, you know nothing about," she said. "Perhaps it is best that you study your enemy before you take action."

"But Master, I have no time to study my enemy!" I protested. "If I don't do something, my friends could end up being in danger and-"

"Willy."

Master then interrupted by saying my name in a stern voice while glaring at me, making me stop talking immediately.

"I understand that you want to deal with this threat as soon as possible so everyone you care about will be safe, but going after an enemy you don't know anything about is suicide," Tu-Chi said. "You need to be calm. You are a ninja. The word Nin means patience, and you need to be very much so if you intend to find this enemy."

"I... suppose you got a point, Master," I said with reluctance. "But still..."

"Don't worry, Willy. We'll figure this out," said Finn. "And we'll do what we can to help and protect you."

"Thanks, but still makes me feel all the more uneasy," I said. "The last thing I want to put my friends in danger. Speaking of which, does anyone else know about my bounty besides you two?"

"Only Makarov, but he isn't the type to take action unless it was necessary," Finn said. "I also don't think he'll say anything to the rest of the Fairy Tail guild, but knowing him, he'll probably want this situation to go away as soon as possible. And to add to that, I don't think that any dark guild would try anything to attack Magnolia. After all, it is guarded by one of the strongest guilds and one of the Ten Wizard Saints."

"So what should I do?" I asked.

Finn then sat down next to me. "For now, we'll just have to wait until something comes up. Me and Master Tu Chi will see if we can find any information when we're out on our missions."

"But I..."

I was ready to interject again, but Finn raised his hand interrupting me.

"I don't want to hear anything more, Willy," Finn said firmly. "I understand that you're worried about us, but that's not your job to worry about that. It's our job, especially mine. After all, you are my son."

Master smiled, nodding her head in agreement. "I couldn't have put it better myself."

I looked back at Finn a bit speechless at his words, especially at the part when he called me his son. I still felt like I needed to do something about my current situation, but at the same time in my heart, I knew that Finn and Master were right.

"All right. You win," I sighed, finally giving in. "But... if anyone in Fairy Tail finds out about it, I wanna tell them myself, so let's keep it between us. Okay?"

"Sounds fair," said Finn. "As long as you don't do anything crazy. "

"And... sorry for snapping at you guys," I added. "I didn't mean to sound rude."

"It is fine. Water past the bridge," Finn spoke kindly. "But don't do it again."

"In any case, we better head back to our room," said Tu Chi. "We have to head back to our room. Sieri is most likely wondering where we have disappeared too. Most especially you Finn. Best not keep her waiting."

"Yes, Master," said Finn. He then looked towards me. "Well, we'll see you later, Willy."

Finn appeared to be a little shy and was blushing a bit, which confused me a little.

Then Tu Chi whispered in my ear. "Let's just say Finn and Sieri have plans with just the two of them."

Finn's face immediately flushed red. "Master! Don't say anything!"

Tu Chi chuckled to herself as she got up from the couch, tapping her staff. Jade immediately flew over to her, landing on top and then the two of them left. I was once again all by myself in my room. I was still feeling a bit uneasy about the wanted poster, but now I felt a little better. I'll admit the bounty thing was an issue, but I wasn't like I could do anything about it. I should take it easy and wait, but I was still intent on keeping my Fairy Tail friends out of it, which was why I also had to tell Makarov to stay quiet as well. Until then, I might as well take my time and relax for a bit. I could use the rest after all that craziness. And I knew exactly how I was going to spend it.

I looked over to my bed, and by my drawer, I saw the book that was lent to me by Erza.

"Time for me to do some reading. I've been meaning to get back to that book."

I walked over to my bed and grabbed my book. I lied down, opened my book, and started to read, eager to see what would happen next.

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